Weekend House near Tokyo

The brief required that the daughter of the family, an artist, should be able to exhibit her work in this weekend house. Since it stands relatively isolated in a wood, it has few external windows. Instead, a series of courtyards serves the needs of lighting and ventilation. The timber posts are laid out to a 2.4 ? 2.4 m structural grid. The outer walls are clad in galvanized corrugated steel sheeting, which is perforated over the outer faces of the courtyards to create a semi-transparent screen. The large internal space is articulated mainly by the courtyards. The reflections in the glass walls and on the shiny ceiling create an almost labyrinthine effect, which serves to enrich this minimal, simple structure. The shadows cast by the louvre coverings over the courtyards add to the visual fascination.